Rostov v Manchester United facts

Rostov will look to stall Manchester United's progress towards the one European trophy that still eludes them as the Russian side play host in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition, and it is also the first time Rostov have played an English club.

• United's record in nine meetings with Russian sides is W2 D6 L1 (W1 D3 at Old Trafford – W1 D3 in Russia). The sole defeat was a 2-1 loss to Zenit in the 2008 UEFA Super Cup, played on neutral territory in Monaco.

Form guide
• Rostov have lost only once in their last seven European home games (W3 D3 L1) – 1-0 against Atlético Madrid in this season's UEFA Champions League group stage.

• United have become the 11th club to record a fourth successive UEFA Europa League clean sheet. Only one of those, Napoli, has made it to five.

• Rostov are making their first appearance in the spring phase of a European competition. This is the 13th fixture of their longest European campaign to date, UEFA Champions League assignments included.

• United got to the last 16 in 2015/16, but the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League remains the only major UEFA trophy they have never won. Continental champions in 1968, 1999 and 2008, the Red Devils lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1991.

• The closest they came to winning the UEFA Cup was reaching the last eight in 1984/85, losing on penalties to Videoton.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Manchester to Rostov is around 3,000km.

• Paul Pogba can make his 50th UEFA club competition appearance in this game; he celebrates his 24th birthday on 15 March, the eve of the second leg.

• One of 12 Swedish players still involved in the round of 16, United's Zlatan Ibrahimović is dreaming of playing in the UEFA Europa League final in his nation's capital, Stockholm.

• Rostov's Marko Dević and United's Henrikh Mkhitaryan were team-mates at Shakhtar Donetsk in 2012/13.

• Rostov's Christian Noboa and United's Antonio Valencia are international team-mates with Ecuador.

• United's Marcos Rojo played in Russia for Spartak Moskva from 2011 to 2012.

• United and Anderlecht are the only two clubs at this stage who also reached the round of 16 in 2015/16.

The coaches
• Ivan Danilyants took over at Rostov in September 2016, having been on the club's coaching staff since December 2014. He played in his native Turkmenistan and Moldova, and was in charge of a number of Moldovan sides – and the national team – before joining Rostov.

• José Mourinho took over as United boss last summer. Having made his name winning the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League with Porto, he landed Europe's top club prize again with Internazionale Milano as well as three Premier League titles during two stints at Chelsea.

• In Mourinho's last foray in this competition, he guided Porto to the 2003 UEFA Cup final, where they edged Celtic 3-2 in Seville.